Two things changed my life: my mother and a white plastic bike basket. I have thought long and hard about it and it’s true. I would have been a different person if my mom hadn’t turned a silly bicycle accessory (配饰) into a life lesson I carry with me today.
My mother and father were united in their way of raising children, but it mostly fell to my mother to actually carry it out. Managing the family budget must have been a very hard task, but she made it look effortless. If we complained about not having what another kid did, we’d hear something like, “I don’t care what so-and-so got for his birthday, you are not getting a TV in your room, a car for your birthday, a lavish sweet 16 party.” We had to earn our allowance by doing chores around the house. I can still remember how long it took to polish the legs of our coffee table. My brothers can no doubt remember hours spent cleaning the house. Like the two little girls growing up at the White House, we made our own beds. We had to keep track of our belongings, and if something was lost, it was not replaced.
It was summer and, one day, my mother drove me to the bike shop to get a tire fixed — and there it was in the window. White, shiny, plastic and decorated with flowers, the basket winked at me and I knew — I knew — I had to have it.
“It’s beautiful,” my mother said when I pointed it out to her, “What a neat basket.”
I tried to hold off at first, and I played it cool for a short while. But then I guess I couldn’t pretend to ignore it any longer: “Mom, please can I please, please get it? I’ll do extra chores for as long as you say. I’ll do anything, but I need that basket. I love that basket.”
I was desperate.
“You know,” she said, gently rubbing my back while we both stared at what I believed was the coolest thing ever. “If you save up you could buy this yourself.”
“By the time I make enough it’ll be gone!”
“Maybe Roger here could hold it for you,” she smiled at Roger, the bike guy.
“Mom. Someone else will buy it.”
“There might be another way,” she said.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My mother bought the beautiful basket but hid it, and I was determined to make enough money.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________However, the unthinkable happened — a neighborhood girl appeared with the exact same basket.
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As we get older there are certain gifts standing out in our memories for a variety of reasons.
One gift I was given and treasured most was a doll named Patsy. She wasn’t originally mine but was my younger sister’s Christmas gift, but on holding Patsy I immediately fell in love with her and couldn’t bear to part with het. Luckily, my sister was quite happy to exchange dolls. From then on Patsy was my baby and I continued to love her dearly and would have died for her.
Another gift I offered my Mom has been shining in my mind. On a Saturday, I was on my way to the local cinema when I happened to glimpse(一瞥) at the window of the gift shop at the corner of our street. There were lovely gloves, pretty flowered handkerchiefs, and rose patterned teacups and saucers, all in pretty boxes. Seeing all these lovely gifts reminded me that it would soon be Mother’s Day and my mother’s birthday. Wouldn’t it be nice, I thought, if I could give my mother something really special, something I’d bought myself? So I stepped inside the shop and admired a dressing table set, which was a green cut glass with ornamental tray(装饰托盘) and several matching pieces. I was sure my mother would love it.
The lady must have seen my disappointment when she told me the price. But she had a suggestion which immediately lifted my spirits. She pulled out a large notebook and wrote my name in it and the gift I wanted to buy, and in return I paid her a penny from my pocket money. It meant no sweets that day but I didn’t care. At the age of nine, I’d made my very first lay-by(分期付款)…and felt like a grown up. From then on, every Saturday I dropped in at the shop on schedule and paid a penny, which the lady dutifully recorded in her notebook.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The day before Mother’s Day I paid the last two pence.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Too excited to wait till Sunday, I excitedly presented the gift to my mother.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“I never wanted to come on this stupid hiking trip anyway!” Jeff’s voice echoed across the narrow canyon (峡谷). Nothing was as pretty as it had seemed when they first hiked this way to their campsite yesterday morning. Before, the rocks had been an interesting challenge. Now, they were obstacles that were threatening their lives. Steep cliffs had earlier been natural curiosities, but now they were nature’s weapons, beating and rubbing Jeff and his father who pushed through as quickly as they could.
His father stopped for a third time, pale and out of breath, and turned to look at the 12-year-old boy. “This is hard on you, son, I know. But you’ve got to come through with courage and calmness.” “But I’m scared! I don’t even want to have courage!” he complained, turning his head the other way, and wiped his eyes across his arm. “If not courage, fine.” his father replied strictly. “Then have enough love for your sister to think this through!” He gently placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and continued, more softly this time. “I’m just holding you back. You’re young, but you’re strong and fast. Do you remember the way back from here to the road, if you had to go alone?”
Jeff flashed back to the painful scene of his sister at their campsite this morning. She’d been bitten by a snake, before long she could barely move, and the pain seemed to be getting worse. She needed medical attention right away, so leaving her at the campsite and seeking help was their only choice. “Jeff? Jeff, could you do it? Could you climb up the canyon and make it without me?”
Jeff looked past his father’s encouraging eyes to the end of the canyon, several miles away. He nodded slowly as the path and the plan began to take hold in his mind. “What was the name of that little town we stopped in, Dad?” “Flint. We parked at the side of the main road a few miles out of town.” Jeff thought about this and then nodded.
Paragraph 1:
He waved goodbye to his father and moved on.
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Paragraph 2:
Finally, he made it to the main road.
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Sarah lived in a big family—four children with three sisters older than her. Father worked hard on the farm all day long to support the family. They had to save every penny to make ends meet.
One winter morning in March, Sarah put on her old spring coat to go out and play. “These buttons don't work,” Sarah said lo Mama. Just then, Mama noticed that this coat was too small for Sarah, She promised Sarah that after her sisters left for school, she would check the hand-me-downs (旧衣) for a coat that fit.
When the house was quiet. Mama went to the hall closet and pulled out all the old spring coats. But she could not find a suitable one for Sarah—Sylvia’s were too big, Susan’s too spotted, and Sally's too ragged. The coats were fine far play. But Sarah had no coat for church and (own and special occasions. Mama told it to Papa when he came in from the bam (布棚), after feeding the cows.
Papa sat down at the table. “Are you sure Sarah can't wear a hand-me-down?” he said. “It's either a new coat or a ragged coat,” Mama said. Papa frowned, staring out at the front yard. “Sarah has never had a new coat,” Mama added.
For a long while, nobody spoke. The fire in the wood stove crackled (发出劈啪声). Sarah looked closely at Papa. Then Papa cleared his throat. “A ragged coat won't do,” he said. “Sarah,are you old enough to lake care of a new coat?” “Yes, Papa,“ Sarah said, "I'm old enough to do almost anything.” Papa gave her a serious look. “Very well,” he said. “While we are in town today, we'll buy you a coat of your very own.” After they had eaten the soup, they headed for town in Papa's old truck.
注意:
1,续写词数应为150左右:
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答.
“May I assist you?” the clerk asked, after they went inside the clothes store.
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The pink coat fit Sarah perfectly, but it seemed that it would only fit one year.
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1.时间,地点;
2.主要情节;
3.你的感受。
注意:1.词数80左右;
2.故事题目已经给出,不计入总词数。
The Flying Saucer
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1.个人经历;2.收获与感受。
注意:1.词数 100 左右;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
My name is Franklin G. Takata, but everyone around here calls me “Find-It Frankie.”
Let me tell you something: you don’t get a nickname like that overnight. I’ve been finding things since before I can remember. Mom said it all began when I started teething as a baby.
And when I turned five, I got a partner, my dog Munchy. For my fifth birthday, my parents let me pick him out at the animal shelter. When we opened his cage, the first thing he did was dig into my pocket and find the candy I had been saving for later. I guess you could say I saw a bit of my younger self in him.
Anyway, Munchy and I were playing in the yard one Thursday afternoon when Mom approached us with the case in question. Her diamond ring was missing, and she wanted us to find it. If I had known how tricky the case would be, I might have hesitated. But I said then, “There’s nothing we can’t find, guaranteed!”
I asked Mom the first question I always ask when something goes missing: “Where do you last remember seeing it?”
“ I was m the kitchen baking cookies," Mom answered. “I took off my ring and placed on the small shelf above the counter. But then your aunt called, and when I came back from talking to her, the ring was gone!”
"Hmm. Well, it couldn’t have disappeared all by itself I said. "Munchy, let’s go take a closer look.” Munchy led the way to the kitchen. There was no sign of the ring on the shelf or the counter, but tiny paw prints in the spilled flour told me who might have seen it last.
“The cat! I exclaimed. “See those prints? Mr. Jingles must have been playing with the ring and knocked it onto the floor!” On my hands and knees, I searched all over the floor for the ring. No luck.
“Munchy,you’re up! Go find Mr. Jingles.” Munchy’s ears popped up. He never passed up an opportunity to annoy the cat.
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语
3. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好;
4. 续写完成后,请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Munchy immediately located the cat asleep on the sofa.
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Unhappily, I took a bite of the cookie but stopped when I felt something hard.
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Not on his route!
On a lazy Sunday morning, 54-year-old Winston Douglas drove his bus along a normally busting but then quiet Ormond Street in the Peoplestown section of Atlanta. A woman using a walker was slowly crossing the street, so Douglas, a driver for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), tapped the brakes as he turned the wheel to the left to go around her.
As he did so, he noticed a muscular young man in his early 20s standing shirtless on the sidewalk. That wasn't all that unusual for a late summer day in Atlanta. What was unusual was that the man was staring at the woman walking across the street.
Douglas was wondering, “Why was he staring at the woman?” Within seconds, he saw the man sneak up behind the unsuspecting woman and rob her of the wallet. The woman fell on the sidewalk because of the force from behind. Realizing what was happening, she cried, “Help! Help!” The man tried to attack her to stop her screaming. But she fought back. The two collapsed onto the road between two parked cars, and the man continued his assault. The bus passengers witnessing the attack gasped. June Jarrett thought she was watching a horror movie come to life. Screaming at him to stop, she said, “You're killing her.” And he looked up at the driver and just continued to assault her. Douglas immediately stopped his bus. Quickly unbuckling his seat belt, he threw open the folding doors and jumped out.
注意:
I.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
He grabbed a heavy four-foot-long stick from a construction site nearby. Douglas ran the few steps over to them.
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Two weeks after the assault, Douglas visited Terri at her home.
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One morning this summer holiday, I was running on the road when I saw an elderly foreign lady waving her phone at me, speaking to me in a foreign language. Obviously, she didn’t speak English at all. When I listened to her more carefully, I found she was speaking German. She was clearly lost and trying to walk to the house where she lived. She showed me screen shots of maps on her phone as if she wanted me to help her find her way home. Actually, I learned some German in my spare time because our school will have German classes the next term. However, I was so poor at it that it was almost useless in practice.
I studied nearby and I knew my classmate, Lisa, who was good at speaking German. So I decided to telephone her. “Hi, Lisa. I came across a German lady. Do you have time to come and act as a translator now?” I said and then sent her my location, Unfortunately, Lisa answered, “Sorry, Belle. I’m shopping now. I can reach your place in about half an hour.” Hearing that, I had to tell her that I could manage myself.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my mind. I downloaded a translation app and used the voice function to translate what the lady said into English. Just in this way, I learned that she came here to visit her daughter who was new to the city to teach. And I also determined the address she needed to get to. It was not far from here to her house, so I offered to walk with her to her destination. She was greatly grateful to me and kept saying sorry for taking my time.
When we got to the house, her daughter just came back. She was as touched by my kindness as her mother. I kept reminding her that it was no trouble for me, and that I only intend-ed to make sure her mother got there safely.
Walking with the lady was more rewarding than running alone. Despite having to rely on technology to communicate due to the language barrier, I felt lucky to have been able to help her. When I left, I couldn’t wait to share the wonderful experience with Lisa.
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
No sooner had I picked up my phone than Lisa called me.
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When the German teacher entered the classroom in the new term, I felt I’d seen her somewhere before.
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At noon that day, I drove back home early. Just as I entered the living room, I heard a slight sound coming from the bedroom upstairs. It was the sound of my favorite violin. But I was the only person who lived in this house.
It must be a thief! I rushed upstairs. Just as what I had thought about, a boy of about 12 years old was petting my violin. At first sight, I found a new pair of shoes at the bed missing. It seemed he was surely a thief.
Then, I saw his eyes full of fear and helplessness. My anger was immediately replaced by a smile. I asked, “Are you Mr Brian's nephew Rubens? I'm his housekeeper. Two days ago, Mr Brian said that he has a nephew who lives in the countryside would visit him. It must be you. You are really like him!”
The boy was surprised, but then quickly replied, “Has my uncle gone out? I think I'd better first go out for a walk and visit him in a while.”
I nodded and asked the boy who was preparing to put down the violin, “Do you want to play the violin?”
“Yes. I am fond of playing the violin and I'm looking forward to having my own violin, but I'm so poor that I can't afford one,” the boy replied.
“Then, I'll give this violin to you because your uncle, Mr Brian, is so kind a man.” The boy looked at me doubtfully, but he picked up the violin. Going out of the living room, he suddenly saw my huge color photo on the wall. He shook for a moment and ran out without looking back.
I was sure that the boy must understand what had happened after seeing the photo on the wall.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I thought the story would end forever if I didn't happen to meet him a few years later.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After the award ceremony, he ran to me holding a violin box.
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